maplewashing means the tendency for Canada and its history, culture, and politics to be idealized or sanitized, especially in relation to its neighbour the United States. It carries an Arena rating of 794, earned across 50 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, maplewashing ranks #224 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #455 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #528 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #2,213 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
Why “maplewashing” is a great word
The act of idealizing or sanitizing the history, culture, and politics of Canada by presenting an overly positive image, often in implicit contrast to the United States. From maple (a national symbol of Canada) + -wash (as in whitewash or greenwash, meaning to conceal or gloss over faults) + -ing, formed on the model of greenwashing; coined in 2016 by writer Luke Savage. Unlike greenwashing, which denotes a corporate gloss on environmental credentials, or jingoism, which is an aggressive, martial patriotism, maplewashing is a national posture of passive, self-congratulatory virtue. It is the sepia-toned nostalgia for a peacekeeping past that omits colonial scars, the earnest branding of a nation as a polite and tolerant mosaic that silences dissonant voices, and the quiet, persistent myth of being a mere observer to history’s crueler currents—the quiet, comforting lie a nation tells itself to sleep better at night.
Etymology
From maple + -wash + -ing, after the model of greenwashing etc. Reportedly coined by writer Luke Savage in 2016.
noun
- The tendency for Canada and its history, culture, and politics to be idealized or sanitized, especially in relation to its neighbour the United States.e.g.“Luke Savage is a Toronto writer and producer with the Broadbent Institute. He says "maple washing" needs to end.” — 2016 September 7, Melissa Mohr, “Maple washing: don't be smug about Canada during the U.S^([sic]) election”, in CBC News:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- redwashing 60% match — The practice of a state, organization, political party or company presenting itself as progressive and concerned about social equality and justice, in order to use this perception for public relations or economic gain. vs maplewashing →
- sanewashing 60% match — The practice of restating someone’s rhetoric to render it more palatable or acceptable. vs maplewashing →
- pinkwashing 59% match — The practice of a state or company presenting itself as gay-friendly and progressive to downplay its negative behavior. vs maplewashing →
- brownwashing 56% match — The practice of rebranding to cover up criminal behavior. vs maplewashing →
- mathwash 56% match — To use data and algorithms to create the false impression that a subjective decision or policy was made objectively. vs maplewashing →
- greenwashing 55% match — The practice by people, organizations and states of presenting themselves as environmentally-friendly and progressive in order to disguise or divert attention away from their actual environmentally damaging behavior. vs maplewashing →
- whitewashing 54% match — The application of whitewash. vs maplewashing →
- sportswashing 53% match — The use of sporting events to improve an organization or polity's reputation, especially to distract from human rights abuses. vs maplewashing →